Tags:

China's digital economy, or internet economy, reached US$3.31 trillion in 2016, accounting for more than 30 percent of the country's total GDP.

The results were released by Tencent Research Institute during yesterday's 2017 China Internet Plus & Digital Economy Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

According to the report produced from the summit, every point increase in the digital economy index will bring a US$20.4 billion increase to GDP.

In 2016, the digital economy index grew 161.95 points, making the booming new area a significant sector in China's national economy, China News Service reported.

Regarding city level economics, Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou are the top four digital metropolises while another 14 major cities – including Chengdu, Hangzhou and Nanjing – belong to the second-tier group.

The report was based on analysis from Tencent users' behaviour in the digital economy, together with big data from other leading internet companies, including Didi Chuxing, JD.com and Ctrip.